Keeping one cow: Being the experience of a number of practical writers, in a clear and condensed form, upon the management of a single milch cowVarious
Science
Keeping one cow: Being the experience of a number of practical writers, in a clear and condensed form, upon the management of a single milch cow
Various
Cows; Dairying
The calf is taught to drink after it is a week or ten days old, and fed
on a porridge made from skim-milk and wheat middlings, or shorts; by
the time it is six weeks or two months old it will be well fattened,
and can be sold to the butcher for veal, at a good price, for at that
season of the year veal is scarce and in demand. The cow being in full
flow of milk all winter, when butter is most always high, will pay a good
profit for her feed and care. A couple of weeks prior to the time the
calf should be born, I make a box stall on the barn floor, and permit the
cow to run loose in it until the calf is taken away to learn to drink.
During this time she should have a good bed of leaves, and the stall be
cleaned each night and morning. So far at such times I have experienced
no difficulty, or trouble; should any occur, it is better to apply to
an experienced person, than to try and “doctor” her yourself. After the
calf is born, I feed the cow on warm slops a day or two, permitting the
calf to suck until the swelling has gone from her bag, and it has assumed
its natural condition. Then, as before stated, teach it to drink, which
can easily be done by inserting the finger in its mouth, and putting its
head in the dish, cautiously withdrawing the finger a few times, and in a
short time you will have no difficulty, as it will help itself.
In conclusion, I can say I have tried to state just how our cow is
managed and kept. I presume there can be improvements made on our system.
I shall be glad to take advantage of the experience of others, at any and
all times. No record is kept of the milk obtained, or of the butter made.
We know we always have plenty for the family’s use, and considerable to
spare. Bread and milk furnish the children half their food a portion of
the time. Pure milk and plenty of fresh fruits, in abundance, we consider
afford one of the principal reasons why our family is so healthy, and we
have so few doctor’s bills to pay.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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